John Wooden

2011 World Ice Dance Medalists Show the Importance of Perseverance and Resiliency

: The 2011 World Championships Ice Dance Medalists (Photo by Liz Chastney)

This year’s ice dance podium at the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships is historic in a number of ways. It’s the first time the World ice dance champions have been from the U.S.; both the gold and bronze medalists are from the U.S.; the bronze medalists made the podium in their first Worlds; all the medalists are North American ice dancers; the medalists are all young ice dancers; each of the teams has been together for a long time; and they all have the same coaching team (Shpilband/Zoueva).

The 2011 World Champions, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, have been together since 1997. The 2011 World Silver Medalists (and 2010 Olympic and World Champions), Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir from Canada, have also been together since 1997. And the 2011 World Bronze Medalists, Maia and Alex Shibutani, at 16 and 20, have been ice dance partners since 2004.

Two quotes explain a lot of the success of the world medalists. And those same qualities needed for success in figure skating can be applied to life in general. Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden emphasized the importance of perseverance.

“It Takes Time to Create Excellence” Word-Art Freebie

I wrote about John Wooden’s ideas and inspiration a little over a year ago: Figure Skaters Need Patience to Create Excellence.

Roger Staubach, Heisman Trophy winner and Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, attributes much of success to two qualities: perseverance and resiliency.

“It Comes Down to Perseverance and Resiliency” Word-Art Freebie

Here’s the complete quote:

It comes down to perseverance and resiliency… When you get knocked down, you don’t give up. You hold onto your values, and you keep your faith. – Roger Staubach

In figure skating partnerships, there’s a special unison and beauty that comes naturally for teams who have been together for many years. While there can be many good reasons for a team to end their partnership, it’s wonderful to see three top teams who have persevered and made the most of their partnerships. And everyone who’s been involved in figure skating (or any sport) knows that resiliency is required to handle the ups and downs of both training and competition.

If you haven’t seen the free dances of the 2011 World Ice Dance Medalists, here they are:

Meryl Davis and Charlie White (USA), 2011 World Champions

Tess Virtue and Scott Moir (Canada), 2011 World Silver Medalists

Maia and Alex Shibutani (USA), 2011 World Bronze Medalists

“It Takes Time to Create Excellence” Word-Art Freebie

Here’s a word-art freebie related to this Friday’s blog post. This is another popular quote by coach John Wooden.

To download word art, click here, then right click on the image and choose “Save Picture As . . .” Please leave a comment.

Inspiration for Everyone

Record-setting college basketball coach John Wooden is an inspiring teacher for many athletes. A famous quote of his is:

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

One of the very best examples of someone who lives John Wooden’s words isn’t known as an athlete. Nick Vujicic, though, is inspiring for athletes and everyone else.

I get more out of that video every time I watch it. I love Nick Vujicic’s celebration of life, attitude of gratitude, emphasis on strength rather than limitations, and never-give-up focus. I also love this quote from the video: